I recently had the pleasure of being in the presence of Angela Glover Blackwell. She is the founder and CEO of PolicyLink, an incredible organization that serves as a conduit for social and economic equity. She has a long and impressive history of civic leadership and just causes for which she has advocated - one of which was working on the campaign to free Nelson Mandela. It was not surprising to find out that she had been part of this freedom movement, but what was surprising (to her, she said, as she told the tale) was her reaction when he was finally released from the bowels of the South African prison where he had been detained for a quarter century. She said she realized, as they broadcast his release across the world, that she never expected to see it actually happen.

She went on to use this parallel about how under-invested communities trying to lift themselves up often have this same reaction to their work. How they strive for change but, due to years of systematic oppression and myriad other reasons, they don't really think it will happen. Still, they put one foot in front of the other and keep on moving toward the dream, like Angela.

So what is it that propels us to continue on the path to our dreams, our goals?  It is called faith, my dearies. Faith.

Now, don't go gettin' on your high horse about how you don't believe in faith and all that crap. Of course you do. How do I know that? Because, although it has been much maligned as religious rhetoric -- fantasy -- it is the stronghold of our existence from which we live moment-to-moment each day. Whether or not you "believe in God."

Think about it. It's faith that you use when you merge onto the 405 -- or any other lawless Southland freeway - and trust you'll make it home relatively unscathed. It's faith you use when you go to a restaurant and trust that the chef isn't using the same unwashed hand on your salad as he did when he just picked his nose. Isn't it?

We may think that faith has its roots in religion - which gives naysayers one more reason to say nay -- but it's as much a manifestation of mind as it is of spirit. And as we've explored before, our minds are individually and collectively connected to the Universal Mind - and it is this Universal Mind that serves as the source of our power: mental, physical and spiritual.

But I'm not here to sell you a sermon. If you can't let go of the religious implications and connotations of the word, "faith," think of it as "spiritual confidence." Yeah, that sounds good, right?

We can all relate to confidence - sometimes we have it, sometimes we don't. Every day we live with the idea of confidence and it changes how we approach every situation. We know what it feels like to walk into a room and own it; and we know what it feels like to wonder whether our breath is as fresh and springy as that twitty Orbit girl on TV. These feelings, positive or negative, make us advocates for ourselves. We consciously or unconsciously support our efforts in whichever way we choose - and the Universe responds accordingly without prejudice or judgment as to what is good or bad.

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How does that look? Well, let's go back to that car scenario. (I spend a lot of time - way too much time - in my car, can you tell?) If you went to the doomsday file in your head and panicked each time you merged, the distraction could easily cause the accident you so vehemently dread. It's that simple. That fear, the lack of confidence that you have actually mastered the merge a million times leads you in the wrong direction - literally. You are convinced there'll be an accident, so it should be no surprise when it happens and you're reading this with a splint on your arm.

Positive pursuits, on the other hand, work much better. Duh. Right. You don't need me to tell you that - but it's so much easier to talk about it than to do it, isn't it? We have such the problem with that faith - er, confidence  -- thing, don't we? Like this friend of mine (who'll recognize herself in this story). She desperately wanted this teaching gig - close to her home, part-time, on her schedule, doing something she loves. She thought about it and talked about it for a long time; and lo and behold -the job opened up exactly when she needed it (when her husband's business began to slow down). When it looked like she was actually going to get it, she dampened her happiness with guilt that she had been referred by someone and might have an advantage over someone else who needed the job. Forget about the fact that she was highly qualified and that it was perfect; she had to go to that negative place. Fortunately for her, she has a very spiritual friend who pooh-poohed her well-honed hesitation before she reached the abyss and encouraged her to accept the gift she had set into motion. Needless to say, she has the job.

We're all miracle-makers in our lives, whether it's landing a plane in the Hudson River or finding that $20 bill in your pocket just when you were about to arm-wrestle your cat to see who gets the last can of Friskies. The more we believe in ourselves, the more the Universe responds to those beliefs and brings us exactly what we need. So have a little faith. Try it, you'll like it.

Looking forward,

Lisa V.

Miss the last Inner Vision? Read it here!